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This is a brief overview of the game of hockey. Hockey is one of the oldest sports played in North America. The Stanley Cup has been the grand prize of hockey for well over 100 years. There are many different exercise that help master the various concepts of hockey. We will narrow our concentration down to four main areas stickhandling, checking, passing, and shooting. The same concepts remain true for ice, roller or street hockey. Mastering these four areas will improve any player’s skills.
Stickhandling:
Stickhandling is becoming a lost art in today’s game. Everyone wants to shoot and score, but it is often the skill of stickhandling that sets up the score.
Exercises to help master stickhandling
1) One of the best ways to master stickhandling is to use an egg.
a) Gently roll the egg back and forth. If you can stickhandling an egg without breaking it, you will avoid over handling the puck, or moving it to far away from your stick.
b) Teaches howto handle the puck smoothly. The puck should look as if it is stuck to your stick.
2) Stickhandle around objects.
A) Set obstacles—cones, garbage cans, buckets, etc—and practice stickhandling around them as if they are opponents.
B) Remember to keep the puck away from the obstacle.
Checking:
Checking is one of the most important parts of hockey. It is the key to good defense, and defense is the key to winning. You can score twenty goals, but if your opponent scores twenty-one you lose.
Types of Checking
1) Sweep Check
a) Sweeping the blade of your stick under your opponents, and attempting to steal the puck.
2) Poke Check
a) Using the tip of the blade to poke the puck away from your opponent.
3) Hook Check
a) Using the blade of the stick to hook the shaft of your opponents stick, and separate them from the puck.
4) Body Check
a) The most effective of all checks. Physically separating the opponent away from the puck.
b) Remember when body checking to Play The Man! If you look at the puck when you try to body check, your opponent will go right around you.
5) Back Check
a) Checking in the defensive zone.
6) Forechecking
a) Checking in the offensive zone, in an attempt to trap the opponent in your end.
Passing and Receiving:
1) When receiving a pass hold the stick lightly in order to cushion the pass.
2) The blade of the stick gives slightly.
3) Follow the pass with your eyes to your stick.
Exercise to master receiving a pass:
1) Practice passing the puck off a wall or the boards, and cradling the rebound. If the puck bounces off your stick, you need to have softer hands.
Types of Passes
1) Sweep pass
a) Using the blade of the stick, sweep the puck towards your opponent. This is more of a touch pass.
2) Wrist pass
a) Snap your wrists, the blade of the stick should point at the person receiving the pass. This is a crisper pass than the sweep pass, but less accurate.
3) Backhand pass
a) Sweep the puck using the back of your blade.
4) Drop pass
a) a very effective tool. You simply stop the puck and keep going. It’s used when you know a teammate is right behind you, and sets up a screen for your team mates shot.
Exercises to help mastering the pass:
1) Move up and down the playing surface while passing the puck back and forth.
2) Place pop cans on the surface, and practice hitting them with your passes.
3) Stand to the side of the net and practice passing the puck to a person at the point.
Shooting:
1) Slap Shot
a) Swing the stick backwards and down, striking two inches behind the puck. This is the most powerful of shots, but it is also the most telegraphic and give the goalie the most time to react.
2) Wrist Shot
a) One of the most accurate shots. Without raising the stick, snap the wrists forward and point the blade at the target.
3) Sweep Shot
a) Sweep the puck forward using the blade of the stick.
4) Backhand Shot
a) A wrist shot using the back of the blade.
b) Effective on breakaways when trying to get around a goalie.
c) Effective, because know one expects it.
5) Tip In
a) Standing in front of the net and redirecting a team mates shot.
Exercises to master shooting:
1) Hang cans in the nets and aim for the cans.
a) Shoot at least fifty of each shot everyday.
2) Draw a goalie and on a wall or piece of plywood and aim for the openings.
a) Shoot at least fifty of each shot everyday.
3) For tip-ins, practice shooting the puck against the wall or boards, and knocking the puck back.
a) Remember to raise the puck, sometimes you may have to bat it out of the air.
Like any sport, in order to master hockey you must practice diligently. Nobody was born good, they worked at it and developed a skill. Hard work is the key to success. Remember to practice the exercises for the basics: stickhandling, passing, checking, and shooting. Mastering these four things, along with skating, are the clue to success in hockey.
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